Yesterday, the federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced that his government is developing regulations that would allow for “treated” tailings wastewater to be drained into the Athabasca River as early as 2025, when the current ponds will run out of capacity.
Alberta's toxic tailings ponds — which cover an area over twice the size of the city of Vancouver and are growing daily — contain dangerous levels of mercury, arsenic, and naphthenic acids. Even after treatment, tailings remain high in salinity and naphthenic acids.
While the Minister also stated that this was not the only option being explored, it is the only option that is fast-tracking significant changes to the federal Fisheries Act. Releasing tailings effluent will not only have a detrimental effect on life within the Arctic Ocean Drainage Basin but will also significantly impact what little environmental protections are left for life-giving water across the settler state of Canada.
Our position remains unchanged, and we vehemently oppose the release of “treated” tailings. This is nothing more than another handout to oil companies that will allow them to continue to avoid their responsibility of reclamation and the high cost of cleaning up their own mess. Releasing tailings into the watershed is not a safe or just option for solving Alberta’s ever-growing tailings crisis.
This is a decision that accepts northern Indigenous communities and lands will remain a sacrifice zone for the profit of settler governments, southern populations, and some of the world’s richest mining corporations. Indigenous peoples have already been saddled with the burden of the negative impacts of oil sands extraction on their traditional homelands. This decision will impact Indigenous communities across this country already facing accessible clean water issues. Keepers of the Water demand Free, Prior, and Informed Consent before Canada enacts Fisheries Act regulation changes.
There are many harmful impacts from the oil sands production and leaking toxic tailings ponds, such as low water levels and loss or contamination of critical species, which have effectively forced Indigenous people off their own land. These impacts are exacerbated by increasing impacts from climate change and other expanding industrial activity that changes landscapes forever.
“There is no proven way to turn treated tailings into safe drinking water, but the government process is pushing for tailings release and nothing else,” said Jesse Cardinal, executive director of Keepers of the Water. “It is no coincidence that the oil industry, which is banking record profits, continues to push for ineffective half measures that hurt the communities.”
If Canada is serious about implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples then they need our Free, Prior and Informed Consent before releasing tailings into the water.
You can Take Action Today!
Send a letter to the Minister for Environment Climate Change Canada, Steven Guilbeault, and the Deputy Minister for Environmental Protection, John Moffet, that says NO to the release of “treated” tar sands tailings effluent into the Athabasca River. Link: https://www.keepersofthewater.ca/call-to-action
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For more information contact:
Jesse Cardinal - cell: 780-520-7108, email: [email protected]
Daniel T’seleie - cell: 867-444-0509, email: [email protected]
For Immediate Release: Aug 18, 2022— Yesterday the federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced that his government is developi










